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As time goes on counterfeiters get better at making fake coins. Lower-quality fakes are often easy to detect when compared with a known good coin or a good image of a known good coin (Museum Victoria is a great source of images) as minor details won't match or the coin just doesn't "look right".

High-quality fakes are now a real concern and can often only be detected by the presence or absence of small marks on the coins. All moderately expensive coins should be viewed with suspicion as high-quality fakes of high-grade common-date coins are known. This page will attempt to list the diagnostics for high-quality fakes but cannot and will not be comprehensive.

Australia

1911 Shilling

Scrape below first downstroke of N in IND and behind the King's shoulder on the obverse, rim cud above N on IND on obverse.

1914 Shilling

Scrape below first downstroke of N in IND and behind the King's shoulder on the obverse, rim cud above N on IND on obverse.

1915 Shilling

Scrape below first downstroke of N in IND and behind the King's shoulder on the obverse, rim cud above N on IND on obverse.

1925 Shilling

Scrape below first downstroke of N in IND and behind the King's shoulder on the obverse, rim cud above N on IND on obverse.

Great Britain

1864 Florin

Blob on top left serif of N of TENTH on reverse.

1905 Half crown

Slightly bent I in QUI on the reverse.

Coins in third-party grader holders should also be viewed with suspicion as fake holders are also known. Slabs with the below numbers have been known to contain fakes.